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After whiffing on a catcher at the trade deadline, the Yankees are taking a flier on a veteran backstop.
The club has signed Mitch Garver to a minor league deal, a source confirmed to The Post on Friday, adding a right-handed hitting option at Triple-A.
The 35-year-old Garver, who was released by the Mariners earlier this week in the midst of a rough season, previously worked with Yankees director of catching Tanner Swanson when both were in the Twins organization.
Of course, the Yankees would have loved to land another righty-hitting catcher from the Twins, Ryan Jeffers, except Minnesota did not end up selling at the deadline.
The Red Sox then out-bid the Yankees for Orioles All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman while the Rays landed lefty-hitting catcher Liam Hicks from the Marlins, as Monday’s deadline passed without GM Brian Cashman adding a backstop at all, leaving him with Austin Wells and Ali Sánchez on the big league roster and J.C. Escarra and another recently signed veteran, Christian Bethancourt, at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
It remains to be seen what Garver has left in the tank, after batting .175 with a .596 OPS in 50 games with the Mariners this season, though he was slightly better against lefties, batting .222 with a .659 OPS.
The Yankees signed Mitch Garver. Charles Wenzelberg / New York PostHe only ranked in the 17th percentile in framing, which the Yankees still put a premium on in the ABS era.
Wells, meanwhile, has spent most of the season as one of the worst hitters in the big leagues, though he has been the Yankees’ most productive player in recent weeks, posting a .931 OPS since July 9.
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They also believe he has played a key role in the Yankees leading the majors in ERA, which is why he continued to catch through his offensive struggles.
Sánchez’s spot may be more vulnerable, as the right-handed hitter entered Friday with a .657 OPS (but .838 in a small sample size against lefties).
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